Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Don Jon Review

“Don Jon”—the writing
and directorial debut of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt—is easy enough to enjoy.
It’s fairly straightforward, it has some wonderfully funny and vulgar bits and
Levitt brings a certain level of energy and zaniness to the whole affair that
makes it hard to completely dislike. At the same time however, you can tell
that it’s a directorial debut. Despite its simple pleasures, Levitt’s screenplay
doesn’t cut deep enough. Most of the characters remain underdeveloped, he
tosses around certain themes that aren’t explored very much, and there are
major plot points and revelations that come a little too late. On a whole it’s
a worthy effort even if it doesn’t entirely work.

Levitt plays the title character Jon, a loud mouthed hot
headed New Jersey male, you know sort of like the kind you would see on a show
like “Jersey Shore.” He only seems to care about a few things in life: women,
working out, and spending time with his family on Sunday after church. And when
he’s not spending time with family or pumping iron he and his bone headed
buddies can be found at the club grinding on chicks.

Levitt himself is probably the main reason to even consider
seeing “Don Jon.” Even though the role doesn’t fit into his history of playing
intelligent (sometimes charming), witty, nice guys (Jon is almost the exact
opposite), he’s still likable. He may not be the brightest bulb but there’s
something genuine and upfront about him that makes you remain on his side the
entire time. He also has a few little quirks--like being a clean freak and
confessing his sins every Sunday even though he doesn’t try to improve
himself—that add a bit more to his personality.

In most respects he’s
the classic romantic comedy stud; it usually takes only a single glance and
he’s in bed with a smokin’ hot girl and then never sees her again. That is,
until he encounters Barbara (a gum snapping Scarlett Johansson with a Jersey
accent) who, in Jon’s words is a “dime” (perfect ten). She doesn’t sleep with
him right away but instead makes him play “the long game” (I know, bummer
right?). He does, and pretty soon they’re going out and after a month he
finally gets to seal the deal. But then there’s this other chick Esther
(Julianne Moore) who’s in one of his night school courses. She’s older, not as
attractive, kooky, meddlesome and kind of a mess (they first meet each other
when he sees her crying in a doorway) and yet slowly but surely a spark appears
between them.

Though, Jon has one peculiar obsession that sets him apart
from all of the other rom-com studs: he loves Internet porn. No I mean really loves porn. In fact he loves it
more than actual sex because it’s one sided. When you sleep with another human
being you can’t always do what you want
to do, you know because there’s two people, whereas on the Internet you’re in
control. And every so often when goes to his next session we get voice over
commentary from him telling us his justification for doing it.

So when he’s not with his family, pumping iron, or hitting
the clubs he’s spanking the monkey. Sometimes, the morning after he’s slept
with someone (including Barbara) he sneaks off to rub one out before they wake
up. It’s pretty much an addiction. In this way, “Don Jon” shares a little bit
of DNA with Steve McQueen’s 2011 movie “Shame” in which Michael Fassbender
played a sex addict. But of course McQueen’s movie takes the matter very
seriously--the sex and masturbating in that picture didn’t look fun one bit—and
in “Don Jon” it’s treated lightly. This isn’t a bad thing and it proves to be a
mildly interesting quirk but after a few masturbation scenes it starts to get a
little stale and repetitive, Levitt doesn’t take it anywhere very remarkable or
exciting. We get it, he’s a selfish guy and by the end he’s probably going to
change.

This isn’t the only problem with “Don Jon.” Levitt also
spends too much time on the Jon/Barbara relationship. Johansson does what she
can but the role doesn’t have much substance. She’s a knockout in the looks
department and she makes him wait on having sex but those seem to be the only
reasons why Jon is enamored by her. Towards the end there is a suggestion that
she too has a one sided approach to relationships but it comes a little too
late and isn’t explored any further.

What Levitt should have focused on was the Jon/Esther
relationship, because it turns out to be the central relationship. She’s not
Jon’s typical girl but she sees right through his shtick and exposes his flaws.
As good as Levitt and Moore are together their relationship isn’t given enough
time to develop naturally. I didn’t quite buy his attraction to her, or vice
versa. On top of that there’s a rather important scene where we find out why
Esther is such a mess (the only real serious, emotional scene in the whole
movie) that should have come sooner; in its current place it comes too much out
of left field, doesn’t match the rest of the movie’s comedic tone and it’s sort
of just discarded after that scene.

The movie is largely repetitive. Jon drives to church in his
Mustang, goes to confession, has brunch with his family: dad (Tony Danza), mom
(Glenne Headly) and sister Monica (a criminally underused Brie Larson). Then he
goes to the gym (where he recites his Hail Marys), then he either goes out
clubbing or spends time with Monica, and finally he goes to his college class
where he talks to Esther. Oh, and throw in at least two or three masturbation
sessions. I gather that this is intentional, Levitt is trying to give the
story’s structure a rhythmic quality (and at the end there’s a sense that this
“routine” is broken) but the movie is repetitive without giving us much new
information or developing the characters.

Other than the fact that his father is an aging version of
him, we don’t learn much about Jon Sr. and their relationship seems to only
consist of yelling at each other across the table or agreeing on how hot
Barbara is. The mother and sister remain even more one note and the same can be
said for Jon’s club buddies. Perhaps the film could be longer (it’s only ninety
minutes) although I’m not sure it utilizes the time it does have very well. Overall,
the picture doesn’t come together and it ends midstory.

I don’t mean to come down too hard on “Don Jon.” It is a
first feature and it’s not terrible. Levitt has now shown that he has some talent
(when it comes to comedy) not just in front of the camera but behind it as well,
and I think if he continues to direct he could definitely improve. I was never
bored during the movie, there are some clever bits of humor and all of the
acting is solid, but “Don Jon” is simply not fully realized.